1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus such as a digital still camera.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, digital still cameras have been devised in which arrangements of operation parts such as buttons and levers are improved so that the operability thereof is improved.
For example, the patent document 1 (JP 3631226 B) discloses a configuration in which switches are arranged in a manner such that a user is allowed to operate them more easily. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 of the patent document 1, in a video camera 100, a zoom switch 19c is arranged at a position such that the switch is operable with the index finger of a user, while a mode switching switch 19a, an image pickup start/stop switch 19b, and a joy stick 10 are arranged at positions such that these are operable with the thumb of the user. With this configuration, the switches can be operated with the index finger and the thumb.
However, the configuration disclosed in the patent document 1 has the following problem. When a user operates each switch, the finger of the user has to be moved to an upper portion of the switch, which increases the movement amount of the user's finger, thereby inhibiting a desired operation from being performed instantly. This impairs the operability.